Search for neutrinoless double-[beta] decay in [sup 136]Xe with a time projection chamber

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.48.1009· OSTI ID:6329970

Vuilleumier, J; Busto, J; Farine, J; Joergens, V; Mitchell, L W; Treichel, M; Vuilleumier, J ^[1]; Wong, H T; Boehm, F; Fisher, P; Henrikson, H E; Imel, D A; Iqbal, M Z; O'Callaghan-Hay, B M; Thomas, J ^[2]; Gabathuler, K ^[3]

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1. Institut de Physique, A.-L. Breguet 1, 2000 Neuchatel (Switzerland)
2. Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)
3. Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen-PSI (Switzerland)

A xenon time projection chamber (TPC) with an active volume of 180 liters has been built to study neutrinoless double-[beta] decay in [sup 136]Xe. The experiment was performed in the Gotthard Underground Laboratory, with 5 atm of xenon enriched to 62.5% in [sup 136]Xe. The experimental details, background considerations, detector performance, and data analysis are discussed. From 6830 h of data, no evidence has been found for the 0[nu] 0[sup +][r arrow]0[sup +] transition. Half-life limits of [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 0[nu]][gt]3.4(6.4)[times]10[sup 23] yr in the mass mechanism mode, and [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 0[nu]][gt]2.6(4.9)[times]10[sup 23] yr in the right-handed currents mode, at the 90(68)% C.L., were derived, corresponding to an upper limit on the Majorana neutrino mass parameter [l angle][ital m][sub [nu]][r angle] of about 2.8 eV. Limits on two-neutrino double-[beta] decay of [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 2[nu]][gt]2.1[times]10[sup 20] yr, and on neutrinoless double-[beta] decay with Majoron emission of [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 0[nu][chi]][gt]4.9[times]10[sup 21] yr, both at 90% C.L., were also derived. Accordingly, a limit on the effective Majoron-neutrino coupling parameter of [l angle][ital g][sub [ital M]][r angle][lt]2.4[times]10[sup [minus]4] was deduced.

• OSTI ID: 6329970
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Vol. 48:3; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
XENON 136
DATA ANALYSIS
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
MASS
NEUTRINOS
TIME PROJECTION CHAMBERS
BETA DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY
DECAY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FERMIONS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEI
PLANNING
STABLE ISOTOPES
XENON ISOTOPES
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